Lamb Meatballs With Escarole Cipollini Onions And Cranberry Beans Food

MOORISH LAMB MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the meatballs, put all the ingredients into a large bowl, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly with your hands. The mixture will feel wet to start with, but if you fold it in on itself as if you are kneading it, it will stiffen up. Form the mixture into balls of around 50g/1¾oz each - you should end up with about 16.
• To cook, either heat olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs in two batches, until well browned on all sides, or preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6, put the meatballs on a greased baking tray, and cook for around 15 minutes, or until well browned and just cooked through. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, to make the patata bravas, put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and add plenty of salt. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften.
• While you are cooking the meatballs, make the sauce: heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes or until softened and translucent.
• Add the garlic, spices and bay leaves and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then add the tomatoes and honey. Pour over 200ml/7fl oz water, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, then uncovered for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the yoghurt, if using.
• Drain the potatoes and heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes in a single layer (you may need to cook in batches if you can't fit them in) and fry for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and brown on all sides.
• To make the patatas bravas sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften without taking on any colour. Add the vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the sweet and hot paprika.
• Pour the sauce over the crisp potatoes and sprinkle with a little more sweet and hot paprika.
• To finish the dish, put the meatballs into a large, deep frying pan, and cover with the sauce. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until the meatballs have heated through and the sauce has reduced a little.
• Serve sprinkled with a little parsley, if using..

LAMB MEATBALLS WITH ESCAROLE, CIPOLLINI ONIONS, AND CRANBERRY BEANS RECIPE

Steps:

• If using dried beans, soak the beans overnight in room-temperature water to cover. (If using fresh beans, shell the beans and skip to step 3.)
• To cook the beans, drain the beans and place in a medium sauce pot with 5 cups water, the salt, bay leaf, and bacon (if using). Simmer over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the center of the beans reaches a creamy texture.
• Meanwhile, to prepare the meatballs, combine the lamb, marjoram, rosemary, onion, garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix with clean hands until well combined. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a 7- to 8-quart Dutch oven or sauce pot over medium heat. Form one small meatball and sauté until the meat is no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Taste the meatball and adjust the seasoning of the meat mixture as needed.
• Use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to form 24 meatballs and lay them on a rimmed baking sheet. (Or, divide the mixture into 4 parts and make 6 meatballs per part.) Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, brown the meatballs on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Drain the fat from the pot, then return the meatballs to the pot. Add enough beef or lamb stock to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and allow the meatballs to simmer gently until they are cooked through, about 1 hour.
• Remove the meatballs from the braising liquid with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large platter or baking sheet. Tent the platter with foil to keep the meatballs warm. Strain the braising liquid and reserve.
• To make the vegetables, heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the cipollini onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the escarole, season with salt and pepper, and cook until just wilted, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the beans and 1/4 cup of the reserved meatball cooking liquid, stirring to combine.
• To serve, spoon the onions, escarole, and beans with the pan juices into bowls. Top with 3 or 4 meatballs per serving and garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and the parsley and celery leaves.

LAMB MEATBALLS WITH SPICED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. In a large bowl, mix together the onion, cream, egg yolks, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and cayenne. Put the lamb in the bowl, and season it aggressively with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and parsley, and combine the mixture well. Shape the meat into balls that are a little larger than golf balls.
• Grease a baking pan with olive oil, and put the meatballs onto it, spaced evenly. Place beneath the broiler, and cook, turning once or twice, until the meatballs are well browned, approximately 5 to 7 minutes, then set meatballs aside. Turn oven to 400.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill, or whizz them quickly in a food processor. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat for a minute, then add olive oil, rosemary and red pepper and shake to combine. Cook for another minute, then add onion, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and bay leaf and sauté until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, orange juice and peel, along with salt and pepper.
• Cook for 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until reduced by a third. Adjust seasoning.
• Pour the tomato sauce into a large baking dish that you can put on the table. Transfer the meatballs to the sauce, putting them about ½ inch from each other. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are cooked through.
• Top with crumbled feta and scattered mint.